Pippa's Passover Plate

PreS-Gr 1—This simple rhyming Passover story doesn't include enough information for the uninitiated, but would make a useful read-aloud for those already familiar with the holiday. Pippa Mouse is missing her Seder plate. She braves asking a series of natural predators (cat, snake, owl) if they know where it might be—until at last she discovers it in the goldfish pond—and all of her newfound friends join her for the holiday meal. The only information about the holiday is the labeled image of the Seder plate on the final page, depicting its traditional items with the transliterated Hebrew words defined in English. The rhyming text is concise and repetitive, encouraging participation. As Pippa questions each animal, a refrain appears: "Quiver! Quaver!/Shiver! Shake!/[Cats] make Pippa cringe and quake." While the predictability of the text would be effective in storytime, it is somewhat uninspired. The full-bleed, mixed-media illustrations, which were created with gouache, neocolor crayons, and some collage, are lush, brightly colored, and appealing. The art has a naive, childlike feel, and the large images and bright colors would carry well while reading to a group.